UHA’s Ian Tyler helped get the Blazers off to a winning start to the season with six shutout innings on the mound on the way to a 4-0 victory over visiting Caldwell County on Monday.
The Blazers win their fourth straight season-opener ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Hopkins County Central. Caldwell County will welcome Union County to Princeton on Tuesday in search of its first win of the season.
The game was a scoreless duel between Tyler and Caldwell’s Deontaye Walls until the Blazers broke through in the bottom of the 4th. Eston Glover drew a walk to start the inning, eventually coming home on a two-out error to break the deadlock.
UHA added three runs in the 5th, beginning with a lead-off single by Ryan Luckey. Tyler followed with a one-out double, and a walk loaded the bases for Ben Stone.
Stone hobbled to the plate after a leg injury in his last at-bat, but it didn’t stop him from driving in two runs with a single to center field. Instead of trying for a double, he shut it down at 1st and received a pinch-runner.
A pair of 8th-graders finished it off for UHA, with Jackson Flynn smacking a single to right field to bring in the final run and Bryson Turner pitching a scoreless 7th inning.
Tyler scattered two hits and didn’t issue a walk, striking out 11 to earn the win.
Walls took the loss, working 4.1 innings and yielding four runs, three earned, on five hits with four strikeouts and five walks. Cole Slone finished the game on the mound for Caldwell, striking out four and allowing a single hit.
Stone’s two hits and two RBI led the Blazers, followed by Ryan Luckey with a pair of hits, and Flynn with a hit and an RBI.
Logan Smiley and Brady Holeman each had a hit for the Tigers.
